-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- At 05:37 PM 6/10/96 +0200, someone wrote: [snip]

Declan wrote:

...

Truth #2: Cults can exist in the absence of a charismatic leader.

Would you describe Christianity as a cult? If not, why not?

So we're going to argue about whether the word "cult" should apply to CoS?? Okay, how about this: it's a _religion_ that uses deception, mind control techniques, and criminal activities to attempt to get as much possible money from as many marks^H^H^H^H^H worshippers as possible, and goes to extreme lengths to silence its critics. Is that better? Hubbard started CoS because he was getting too much heat over the quackery and pseudoscience in "Dianetics." I'm going to start a religion, too, called the Church of the Shell Game. Don't you call it a cult, or I'll be real mad! Rich -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBMbx6cYT0GKfZRA/9AQFUTwP+ODigyynDs76o039u/SgxP5K54LSOjsh+ AoKWi81U/cHwPABNZ+fhoP+Hcpd21m4mycWRcFoMwW/VC1xfuEYaCRrqhUlJy5oe EMYlHNbZQ/klZPBnZkfBZSJFApWpeZTfsaAPKnzwtEGJVTGd0GtdnUe8X2mfCJHJ Hc5gmTmyQvA= =RZOB -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ______________________________________________________________________ Rich Burroughs richieb@teleport.com http://www.teleport.com/~richieb See my Blue Ribbon Page at http://www.teleport.com/~richieb/blueribbon New EF zine "cause for alarm" - http://www.teleport.com/~richieb/cause